>>/10696/
> Well I hate to even say it, but a “racism bad” 
>  I dislike open and transparent analogy to the real world in general, really, particularly in my comfy Pony fantasy world where it’s chief atrractive element is it’s separation from the real world. 
I hear you ought on that. Though I consider the context here to be largely minor and inoffensive the mere touching of that topic can be really toxic. To be fair to the show, this was done in the standard 1980s to 2000s way. A standard lesson being taught to children and I don't think a lot of the details now we observe were even thought by the crew and in a world with a slightly cooler heads on the topic might not be so unconformable.  

For example: I think having Zecora being creepy and mysterious is fine as a learning tool for children in the sense of judging things not as they seem and how rumors can spread/those who isolated can have horrible things said about them, BUT, I completely agree that ponies shouldn't be viewed as irrationally xenophobic in this context either.

To add, what I said from my review fits well here:
< On rewatch I might have a problem with Zecora being an analog from black/African culture of some sort.I do think there is problems though if you map human races onto pony/other races/cultures too directly. 
< I still think what was set up was something that could've been cool in a alternative universes where politics were less... high tension. It might have been better without as direct a racial subtext or slightly tweaked in some ways.

> When Pinkie Pie sings her song, and Twilight says “Wow, catchy” – I genuinely wasn’t able to discern if Twilight was being sarcastic, or genuine. It’s clearly not especially catchy… At least to me. I don’t know, but it puzzled me a little. 
To me, she seems a bit surprised, and I take 'catchy' as half compliment at least, albeit more caught off guard by the whole thing. "Wow, that was a lot Pinkie." So I think your confusion makes sense! I do find the song a bit of an ear worm.

> we get a little clue about spells when Twilight describes curses as requiring incantations, suggesting the wording of a spell does not mean it needs to be chanted or spoken aloud.
Good detail to highlight. As I stated, I think it is fair to say that Twilight Sparkle views magic as purely a science and that the trappings of curses and superstition are removed. Now, where that line goes (good point on the tickets!) I don't know. Seems like a harmful spell could be a curse for all intents and purposes and that poison joke arguably is. 


 >>/10758/
>  think I got to it already! Here:
And now I have replled... here! As always, feel few to progress ahead with episode reviews. I should have a new one up myself this time soon though.  again, though, this is not a race.

> Watching all of the subtitled Ring Cycle on one half of the screen while I played Minecraft on the other half age 15 is still a fond memory though.
Get that (and that sounds comfy).